About Progress Over Pawfection
Discovering a Newfound Passion for Helping Dogs
Twenty-six years ago, my husband's supervisor approached us and asked if we would be willing to take in a puppy from a litter that their Great Dane had just given birth to. Sadly, the puppy was born lifeless and had to be given mouth-to-snout resuscitation.
The vet had told us that the puppy would likely have health complications in the long run—brain damage, to be specific—and a short lifespan. Although our time with our new fur baby might be limited, we still welcomed the pup into our family. We named our dog Bella and provided her with the best care possible.
To our surprise, Bella defied all odds and lived a full and vibrant life, reaching the ripe age of 8 years old. She was the first of her litter to walk and displayed remarkable intelligence. Our experience with Bella inspired us to advocate for Great Danes in need. Whenever our friends came across a Great Dane in need, they would reach out to us.
The vet had told us that the puppy would likely have health complications in the long run—brain damage, to be specific—and a short lifespan. Although our time with our new fur baby might be limited, we still welcomed the pup into our family. We named our dog Bella and provided her with the best care possible.
To our surprise, Bella defied all odds and lived a full and vibrant life, reaching the ripe age of 8 years old. She was the first of her litter to walk and displayed remarkable intelligence. Our experience with Bella inspired us to advocate for Great Danes in need. Whenever our friends came across a Great Dane in need, they would reach out to us.
Our Early Experiences Starting as Great Dane Advocates
My husband's supervisor received orders to move overseas, so their dog, Caina, Bella's mother, needed to be quarantined for 30 days before joining them. The owners believed their pet had little time left due to her old age. They didn't want to subject Caina to the stress of quarantine, so they asked if we would be willing to take her in. We immediately agreed, without hesitation.
Upon further examination, we discovered that Caina was suffering from endometriosis and was riddled with cysts, which slowed her down and caused her pain. We had her spayed, and she experienced a remarkable transformation after the procedure. Caina became unstoppable and lived for nearly five more years, defying all expectations as Bella did.
Our experiences with caring for Bella and Caina helped us develop a passion for rescuing and caring for Great Danes. Over the past 26 years, we have happily rescued, fostered, and adopted hundreds of these magnificent dogs. We hope to continue providing love, care, and support to hundreds more in the future.
Upon further examination, we discovered that Caina was suffering from endometriosis and was riddled with cysts, which slowed her down and caused her pain. We had her spayed, and she experienced a remarkable transformation after the procedure. Caina became unstoppable and lived for nearly five more years, defying all expectations as Bella did.
Our experiences with caring for Bella and Caina helped us develop a passion for rescuing and caring for Great Danes. Over the past 26 years, we have happily rescued, fostered, and adopted hundreds of these magnificent dogs. We hope to continue providing love, care, and support to hundreds more in the future.
My husband and I both retired from the Air Force. I retired in 2014, and he retired in 2018. I chose to continue working with rescues across the nation., My work involved fostering, adopting, transporting, and assisting in administrative tasks. When my husband retired, he pursued a second career in education as a high school teacher. He runs the Aircraft Maintenance and Drone Program at Moore High School in Moore, OK, where we live now.
Throughout the years, my husband and I have rescued many different large breeds of dogs. In addition, I have also trained many dogs in preparation for adoption. However, we focused on Great Danes because we have more knowledge and experience caring for them.
While working with dogs, I have prioritized absorbing as much information as possible from various sources. I have completed numerous training courses, worked with a certified dog trainer who has experience with aggressive behavior improvement through behavior modification, and even joined a book club specifically for graduates of Dog Training to understand the behaviors and needs of canines better.
One book that profoundly impacted me was Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior by Kim Brophey. I finally felt like someone could describe what I had been trying to articulate for years: I firmly believe that each dog has unique behaviors influenced by their learned behaviors, environment, genetics, and self (the personality they were born with).
Throughout the years, my husband and I have rescued many different large breeds of dogs. In addition, I have also trained many dogs in preparation for adoption. However, we focused on Great Danes because we have more knowledge and experience caring for them.
While working with dogs, I have prioritized absorbing as much information as possible from various sources. I have completed numerous training courses, worked with a certified dog trainer who has experience with aggressive behavior improvement through behavior modification, and even joined a book club specifically for graduates of Dog Training to understand the behaviors and needs of canines better.
One book that profoundly impacted me was Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior by Kim Brophey. I finally felt like someone could describe what I had been trying to articulate for years: I firmly believe that each dog has unique behaviors influenced by their learned behaviors, environment, genetics, and self (the personality they were born with).
Understanding Our Beloved Fur Friends Better
On-Ground Experience as a Volunteer
After 26 years of working with rescue and shelter dogs, I became a licensed Family Dog Mediator in the Rescue and Shelter Division. As anyone who has done rescue or shelter work knows, there is never enough of anything: money, time, supplies, fosters, or adopters. Our think tanks have members across the nation. Together, our team finds solutions to the many issues rescue and shelters face, such as being understaffed, overworked, and underpaid.
To help with these issues, we have organized countless fundraisers over the years. However, we realized the need for a more efficient way to request donations. We created Progress Over Pawfection L.L.C. to help rescues and shelters have a centralized place to request financial aid and assistance with local and online charity events. We aim to make it easier for fellow volunteers to get the monetary support and supplies they need to care for animals. We have recognized that many veterans struggle upon leaving the military, especially those who served in war zones, as my husband and I did during our time on active duty. After doing a lot of research, I found that many veterans within the animal service industry, especially women, struggle to have a successful and thriving small business. With this knowledge, I went to work seeking out other veterans, especially women, who would be interested in providing free or low-cost services to our animals as they come into the rescue or shelter in exchange for free marketing and advertising through our page as well as through networking contacts throughout our local and nationwide communities. So many animals are in dire conditions when they first enter rescue or shelter. They desperately need grooming, bathing, nails clipped, taxi service to services, walking services to be exercised to exert pent-up frustration from being kenneled, etc. Our team also provides each animal with a Licensed Family Dog Mediator (FDM-S) specializing in shelter and rescue animals. We have an IAABC-certified trainer who also holds an AKC GCG Certified Evaluator. These trainers and Licensed FDM evaluators monitor each animal through the L.E.G.S. model. This entails four essential factors to evaluate against. 1. What has the animal (L)earned through training? Most often, this is not an easy task due to limited information about where the animal came from and what type of environment they were raised in. We use several tests to evaluate if they can complete simple basic commands, their temperament, etc. 2. We evaluate their current (E)nvironment to determine what circumstances might be causing them to have increased stress or could be the source of triggering aggressive behaviors. as well. Ie. A Malinois caged during a pet adoption fair with children running around and dogs barking. This is a living nightmare for a dog of that nature, so they are reactive, and people assume the dog is aggressive when it is simply the environment. We did a few behavior modification lessons to teach her dog and human neutrality. We spoke with the foster about her location placement during adoption fairs. She is a success story. An animal that would've spent extended time in a shelter or foster home is now ready to be adopted because she is showing well at adoption fairs. 3. A dog's (G)enetics, i.e., breed, play a vital role in an animal's behavior. Each is born with a set of instinctual characteristics that have been genetically bred into them over centuries as we have needed them to serve in a specific role. Only in the last 50 years have animals been inside pets instead of having jobs and being treated like workers rather than the couch potatoes we have come to know and love. I.e., the Great Pyrenees were bred to herd sheep and goats and protect them from predators. They prefer the outside over the inside and want to herd things. They do not like confinement due to the genetics we humans have bred into them. Being kenneled in areas such as shelters can manifest as aggression or completely shutting down and usually refusing food. 4. The self encompasses everything unique to each dog's personality, just like us humans. Once we complete all these moving parts as a team, get them cleaned up, trained in basic obedience, and work on any specific behaviors that need behavior modification, we then take pictures and post them on our various web pages and social media and send them out to shelters, rescues, and other organizations that are dedicated to finding these precious creatures their forever home.
To help with these issues, we have organized countless fundraisers over the years. However, we realized the need for a more efficient way to request donations. We created Progress Over Pawfection L.L.C. to help rescues and shelters have a centralized place to request financial aid and assistance with local and online charity events. We aim to make it easier for fellow volunteers to get the monetary support and supplies they need to care for animals. We have recognized that many veterans struggle upon leaving the military, especially those who served in war zones, as my husband and I did during our time on active duty. After doing a lot of research, I found that many veterans within the animal service industry, especially women, struggle to have a successful and thriving small business. With this knowledge, I went to work seeking out other veterans, especially women, who would be interested in providing free or low-cost services to our animals as they come into the rescue or shelter in exchange for free marketing and advertising through our page as well as through networking contacts throughout our local and nationwide communities. So many animals are in dire conditions when they first enter rescue or shelter. They desperately need grooming, bathing, nails clipped, taxi service to services, walking services to be exercised to exert pent-up frustration from being kenneled, etc. Our team also provides each animal with a Licensed Family Dog Mediator (FDM-S) specializing in shelter and rescue animals. We have an IAABC-certified trainer who also holds an AKC GCG Certified Evaluator. These trainers and Licensed FDM evaluators monitor each animal through the L.E.G.S. model. This entails four essential factors to evaluate against. 1. What has the animal (L)earned through training? Most often, this is not an easy task due to limited information about where the animal came from and what type of environment they were raised in. We use several tests to evaluate if they can complete simple basic commands, their temperament, etc. 2. We evaluate their current (E)nvironment to determine what circumstances might be causing them to have increased stress or could be the source of triggering aggressive behaviors. as well. Ie. A Malinois caged during a pet adoption fair with children running around and dogs barking. This is a living nightmare for a dog of that nature, so they are reactive, and people assume the dog is aggressive when it is simply the environment. We did a few behavior modification lessons to teach her dog and human neutrality. We spoke with the foster about her location placement during adoption fairs. She is a success story. An animal that would've spent extended time in a shelter or foster home is now ready to be adopted because she is showing well at adoption fairs. 3. A dog's (G)enetics, i.e., breed, play a vital role in an animal's behavior. Each is born with a set of instinctual characteristics that have been genetically bred into them over centuries as we have needed them to serve in a specific role. Only in the last 50 years have animals been inside pets instead of having jobs and being treated like workers rather than the couch potatoes we have come to know and love. I.e., the Great Pyrenees were bred to herd sheep and goats and protect them from predators. They prefer the outside over the inside and want to herd things. They do not like confinement due to the genetics we humans have bred into them. Being kenneled in areas such as shelters can manifest as aggression or completely shutting down and usually refusing food. 4. The self encompasses everything unique to each dog's personality, just like us humans. Once we complete all these moving parts as a team, get them cleaned up, trained in basic obedience, and work on any specific behaviors that need behavior modification, we then take pictures and post them on our various web pages and social media and send them out to shelters, rescues, and other organizations that are dedicated to finding these precious creatures their forever home.